December 30, 2009

I lied. I said I wasn't going to buy anything for Smidge until we find out whether Smidge is a boy or a girl and then I went into Tadpole (an awesome children's boutique uptown) and just HAD to buy a couple little bits for my Smidgie.

Sophie is the one baby toy that I have found myself setting back on the shelf time and time again for the past 4 years. I knew we wanted babies and knew that we would have a son or daughter one day no matter what it took but I also knew that buying baby goodies years before the babe is born is a dangerous path for a bargain hunter like myself.

I have now given myself permission to buy: uh oh.

Sophie is now tucked away safe and sound for baby Smidge. Isn't she sweet?

And this freaking adorable baby kimono in blue is waiting for Smidge to model it. Super cute huh? Mike's first question was "Is this for a girl or a boy?", when I told him "either" he just raised his eyebrows. hehe

Smidge's Grandad has had two dreams in the last two months about a little girl. The latest one (Christmas night) involved him and Mike walking along a path with a little one. They came to a stream and started crossing but then realized the little girl couldn't make it across. Mike dove under the water and stretched across so that his hands touched one side of the shore and his toes the other: the little girl then walked across Mike's body and landed safely on the other side of the creek. Strange but lovely!

My mom had a dream recently where she was frantically looking for baby boy clothes in a store.

Last night I had a dream in which the doctor completed an ultrasound to tell us what we were having but then couldn't figure it out! Argh! Looks like we'll have to wait and see!

The ring on a chain has changed its mind AGAIN now saying we're having a girl rather than a boy - silly thing can't make up it's mind OR it's very clever and has decided that guessing boy once and then girl means it will be right either way.

Let us know what you think Smidge is by answering the poll found on the sidebar to the right of the screen.

Smidge was spoiled this Christmas and the little peanut isn't even on the outside yet! Mike and I are trying to restrain ourselves by waiting until we find out whether Smidge is a boy or girl before we start buying baby things but our family and friends have started shopping already. A beautiful "Sneak Peek" frame for Smidge's first photo (the ultra sounds looks perfect in it), tiny furry crocs, an adorable teddy bear with a rattle inside, a beautiful pale green baby bootie ornament, the softest tiny teddy bear blankie, teething toys and more! I can already tell that this poor child will not be loved at all. Ha! Thanks to all the gift givers for the lovely bits, Smidge is going to LOVE them!

It just about melted my heart when our niece handed me a Christmas gift bag and said "This is for baby Smidge." Something tells me our little one's nickname is going to stick.

I gave Smige all the chocolate he/she could handle for Christmas, wasn't that generous of me? Mike gave Smige lots of belly cuddles with hints that mommy feeling flutters would be a fabulous gift in return... it didn't happen on Christmas day but it did yesterday and again today!! Flutters in my belly: hooray!

Anyone who has seen the Slap Chop infomercial will get a kick out of this video. Mike and I have laughed at the original commercial more times than I can count: "You'll love my nuts." so obviously we thought this remix was brilliant!

Most of our friends killed themselves over the remix as well so when Marcel and Tina gave a copycat version of the Slap Chop to Mike for his birthday all our friends' hidden infomercial acting selves made an appearance. It's really too bad we didn't have a video camera back in November.

Oh and did I mention he received a Sham Wow too?!

Hilariously fabulous gifts!

I guess this is a VERY belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY post for the man who makes me laugh every single day. I love you Michael!!

I'll admit that when I first saw these apple jackets I thought they were cute but kind of ridiculous and something I would never use. Then I started my new job where my office is in the trunk of my car and my lunch is always being eaten on the run. I'm so sick of my apples being bruised from the beating they get when bouncing around in my lunch bag that I am definitely adding this cute jacket to my wish list. Adorable and functional! Check out Jacqueline Knits' Etsy shop for more great gift ideas.

December 28, 2009

Alright it's a few days late but that's because I have been thoroughly enjoying my holidays... Better late than never though right?!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the royal family!

We had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas this year. Christmas eve was spent with my side of our immediate family and boxing day was spent with Mike's side. Fabulous company, yummy food and of course wonderful presents: another perfect Christmas.

This year we started a new tradition of staying home on Christmas day which meant that once we dragged our sleepy bottoms out of bed we put on fresh pajamas, poured some baileys and coffee (yes I did indulge in a splash of Baileys, a little Bailey's never hurt anyone so all you pregnant woman drinking haters just RELAX I had a splash not a bottle) and sat around snuggling on the couch eating good food and watching tv. It was an absolutely perfect day!

We have loads of out of town friends around for the holidays so the remainder of our holidays will be spent visiting and relaxing: sounds blissful doesn't it?!

Oh and did I mention... two days in a row now I've felt what I'm sure is the baby fluttering in my tummy so now I can say my holidays really have been perfect. Life is grand!

I am trying to keep Gingham Skies from being a baby blog since Just a Smidge is my baby zone but since I haven't been posting a whole lot I thought I would share a few tutorials that have caught my eye while in babyland.

Not a big fan of store bought mobiles? Ditto. Check out this awesome and relatively simple DIYbirdie mobile at Spool Sewing:

And finally a not necessarily baby related tutorial: fabric boxes from The Sometimes Crafter! I'm adding them to this baby tute list because I think they would be a sweet addition to our nursery to hold extra bits of this and that which are bound to be found:

I thought a lot of advice was thrown at us while we were in wedding planning mode, wedding planning has nothing on becoming new parents. I know everyone means well and this post is not meant to be directed at anyone in particular, I'm sure anyone who is a parent or pregnant (whether you've given the advice or not post-birth) has had these "words of wisdom" tossed at you during the long wait to meet your babe face to face.

I think the most ridiculous (but well meant) piece of advice we continuously receive (I swear it's on a daily basis) revolves around sleep. Having a baby means getting up a million times in the night and feeling like a zombie 99% of the day?! Well if I had known that...

Some of the lines we have heard a million times in the last few weeks and are sure to hear a trillion more before June arrives:

"Sleep now because once the baby's here...""Hope you're getting lots of rest.""My baby never slept.""I haven't slept in 8 years.""We were like the walking dead once our baby was born.""Oh you won't be getting much sleep once you hit the third trimester so get in what you can now."And the one I've heard so many times now I find myself biting my tongue in order to not finish the sentence for the well-meaning person: "Enjoy your sleep while you can."

I am beginning to think it might be a good idea for Mike and I to make t-shirts that say "We are getting lots of sleep but thanks for your concern." Think this might ward off the dreaded sleep advice? I doubt it, we would just hear something along the lines of: "HA! You think you're getting lots of sleep but you have no idea what it's going to be like when the baby arrives."

The best words I have heard have come from my two moms, not direct quotes but the general thoughts: 'Listen to what people have to say, take what you want and let the rest slip in one ear and out the other', 'Your instincts will guide you, do what feels right' and 'You'll be fine!'

I do appreciate the advice so keep passing it along but don't take it personally if you mention getting sleep and I roll my eyes.

December 21, 2009

A super easy and delicious recipe that I should have posted ages ago but never got around to. I've had two people ask me for the recipe in the last week so I guess this is a good time to type it up!

This Tortilla Roll recipe is courtesy of my mom's good friend Sheila. It's a tried and true recipe that never disappoints. Super easy and ultra yummy. Every time I've whipped up a batch of these I've been asked for the recipe, they are the best tortilla rolls I've had.

Tortilla Rolls

What You Need8oz rectangular pkg Soft cream cheese (let it sit on the counter to warm up a bit before you try to work with it)1 cup (ish) shredded cheddar cheese2 green onions, chopped2 tbsp parsley3/4 cup salsa3/4 cup Parmesan cheese1 pkg large tortilla shells

What You DoStir and cream all ingredients together (I suggest mixing the cream cheese and salsa before adding the cheese - it's easier this way)Spread mixture on tortillas and roll (you don't want it too thick but not too thin either, after you roll one you'll have an idea of what thickness works best)Wrap each roll in plastic wrap.Refrigerate 2 hours or more (overnight is best).Remove plastic wrap and slice rolls (every 1/2 inch or so). Try not to eat too many as you cut or you'll end up with a sore belly. :)

December 19, 2009

This incredible picture was taken from the Hubble Space Telescope.

An expert quoted over at Gizmodo provides some insight on the largest known star nursery in our galaxy: "Many of the diamond-like icy blue stars are among the most massive stars known. Several of them are over 100 times more massive than our Sun"

December 16, 2009

Daddy thinks my loss of self control today was your way of telling me that you love chocolate as much as your mommy and daddy do... I think that I like when he blames my piggy moments on you.

I bought a lovely box of chocolates to give to my colleague as a Christmas/thank you gift and the box was sitting in a bag on the back seat of my car this morning. I came out of my second school around 11am and remembered the box was there. Without hesitation I snatched the bag off the seat, pulled out the box, attempted to tear off the plastic (failed), turned off the car, used my keys to gouge the plastic cover, ripped off the plastic, tore off the lid, and inhaled three delicious chocolate caramel pecans yummies in approximately ten seconds. It was after the third one slid down into my tummy that a tiny guilty voice whispered in my ear. I shushed the voice and tucked the chocolates back into the bag.

Yum!

I'm thrilled that you love chocolate as much as Daddy and I do and I've heard your message loud and clear. That being said, Little Nut please don't encourage me to rip into anymore Christmas gifts this year.

December 15, 2009

So we've flip flopped back to the idea of using the middle room as the nursery. This means we'll have a little less room to play with but that's okay, the baby is just a teeny tiny person!

We found a zillion and one decals that we like... lots of fab choices on Etsy and elsewhere. Here are a few we have added to our pile of possibilities! Keep in mind the colours may not be our first choice, it's the designs we like.

December 11, 2009

This is killer. Swiss Miss posted a link to this super sweet Lego CD player aka ghetto blaster for those who are cool like that.

Mike spotted this, gasped in bliss and then promptly told me that he wants to start buying LEGO for our kid... now. Did I mention our baby is 3 months old? Let me clarify, our FETUS is 3 months AC (after conception, yes that's my own personally invented acronym... at least I think it is). If we start buying LEGO for our child now we will definitely need a bigger house with one room devoted solely to LEGO. Joanne and Paul can vouch for this.

My oh so lazy body and brain are thrilled to announce that my Additional Qualifications course Teaching Students who are Blind Part 1 is FINITO!! Another thing to check off the list.

A slightly insane part of me is considering taking another course in January because I know next year it will be waaaaay more challenging to do but we'll see... What I really feel like doing, and what I have been doing very well lately is to sit on the couch while sipping on a hot chocolate. That reminds me, time to plug in the kettle.

Dr. Seuss is one of my all timefav authors and was definitely my number one when I was wee. I clearly remember flipping through the little library of Dr. Seuss books that my parents had put together for John and I, those books were definitely well loved. The collection is one I want for our son or daughter; I have a few Dr. Seuss books of my own and will continue to build the collection for our kids as time goes on.

Mike and I both love this Cat in the Hat wall decal and it's quite likely we'll incorporate it into our nursery design if we can make it fit, I don't want a Dr. Seuss themed nursery by any means but a little touch would be fab. Then again it would work well in a playroom too so if we don't work it into the nursery maybe we'll keep it in mind for the future play digs.

December 10, 2009

Tuesday was a spectacular day! We went to my doctor's office for my monthly check-up and we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. What an incredible experience! Once again the tears slid down my cheeks, the sound was like tasting a little slice of heaven.

Mike was super sweet, he had the biggest grin on his face. Dr. Baxter explained that the baby's heart is beating super quick, between 120 and 160 bpm at this point in time. As soon as the doctor left Mike said: "Our baby's heart beat is somewhere between house and jungle." Always the musician. Now he's hunting for a used doppler on kijiji so that we can listen to Smidge's heartbeat whenever we want and so that he can record it to use in his music - a true beat to add to the beat.

In less than a week we've seen the teeny tiny baby on the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat, now I'm looking forward to feeling the little monkey wiggling around inside my tummy! I love being preggers, so many fabulous things to experience and always more to look forward to.

December 4, 2009

Mike and I have fabulous news to share and if you haven't figured it out already take a close look at the photo above: I'm pregnant!!!!!!! Three months today! It has been killing me keeping it quiet for this long but today we had our first ultrasound and saw the little peanut's arms and legs, brain and heart so it's time we shared our news with the world!

My due date is June 18th 2010 and the day can't come quick enough, that being said I am loving being pregnant and have a feeling once I can feel the little one move I might not want this pregnancy to end.

Life couldn't be any better than it is right now!

Although I will continue to update Gingham Skies on a regular basis I've started a baby blog as well where I'll stick to baby stuff! Feel free to stop on by and check it out: Just a Smidge.

Oh yeah and that means I have wiped one HUGE accomplishment off my list of 32 Things to do Before I'm 32 AND it explains why a few of the other items on my list will remain there until I'm 33. No snow tubing, rollerskating, 30 km bike ride (I nearly barfed after 10 in September) and the 50 laps might be pushing it.

We saw arms and legs , a tiny nose, mouth, brain and heartbeat! What an absolutely amazing experience! At first glance we definitely think Smidge has Mike's nose, very cute. The heartbeat was what threw me over the edge and caused the tears to really start flowing, Mike was all choked up at that point too.

Seeing Smidge in my belly certainly makes the whole experience feel more real. THERE IS A BABY IN MY TUMMY!!! Yippppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

My husband is broken and I'm sad for him. At the end of August he broke his foot while downhill mountain biking, he flew off a ridiculous jump and when he landed his foot slipped off the pedal. He didn't fall off his bike, his foot just slipped but the slip meant his foot took the impact of the landing along with his bike's wheels. He has spent the last three months in and out of a boot, having to use crutches, seeing a physiotherapist and repeatedly telling the doctors that something is very wrong with his foot - he was continuously told that it was fine and would heal in time.

Three and a half months later and he's just now getting some answers as to what is happening. Found out today that he shattered a bone in his foot that is very difficult to break and one that cannot fix itself - the specialist said that in his 23 years of working in the field he has yet to see anyone break this particular bone in this particular way. Figures.

Now Mike is left waiting to see another specialist, the one out of five in our city who the doctor thinks MIGHT be able to operate and fix the bone. Brutal. Mike's handling it all very well, I'm impressed actually, he can't play soccer or basketball or do anything physical really and he's a super active guy especially in the fall and winter when he usually plays in 3 or 4 different leagues. Thankfully some other things are happening in our world which help distract him and of course he knows that it could always be worse.

Fingers crossed that he gets into see the next specialist sooner than later! I'll keep you updated.

I can tell you for a fact that Replicca's clothing is fabulously made and looks as good on the average bear as it does on the models seen on their etsy site. My mom won one of the dappled grey hoodies in a giveaway and lucky me was the recipient of her win!Not only is it mega comfy, it's stylish too. This is the only hooded shirt I own that I can get away with wearing on casual days at work. Comfy and cute earns Replicca an A plus in my books.

December 3, 2009

Mommy and Daddy are counting the hours until we see you on the screen at our ultrasound appointment tomorrow! The appointment is at 3pm and Daddy keeps joking that maybe we will be surprised and see not one Smidge but two. Oh boy.

Daddy has been warned that Mommy will quite likely pass out cold if his prediction is correct, not that I wouldn't be thrilled to have two little bundles of joy to take care of at once, it might just take a little bit to wrap my head around that sort of fabulous news.

Very excited and a little nervous to see your wiggling body and beating heart tomorrow!

Are you one or are you two?! We will soon find out and no matter what the outcome we love you and are counting the days until we can cover your sweet cheeks in kisses.

November 30, 2009

There's not a whole lot I can do to prepare for Smidge right now but planning the nursery is one thing that I can start on! Of course we don't know whether there's a boy or a girl in my tummy so I'm going to start gathering pics of both girlie and boyish nurseries that make me go awww!

I'm really hoping to keep the baby room fairly minimal, I don't want shelves crammed full of stuff and walls overwhelmed with artwork. I know that down the road when Smidge gets big we won't be able to avoid the toy explosions but while the babe is tiny I'm going to try to keep their room clutter free. Feel free to laugh, I know I have the Dougherty clutter gene but REALLY I want to try to improve and a baby's room is the perfect place to start!

I adore Etsy and there are tonnes of amazing artists showcasing their good there so I think it's likely we'll purchase a few pieces of art there for Smidge; I can't wait to stumble across the perfect pieces for our babe. And then of course there are so many fabulous wall decals available in fun kiddie designs - oh the choices!

I've been admiring emboridery hoop fabric swatch art for ages now and had thought before that a little person's room would be the perfect place to hang them! Check out little Norah's room below, what a fabulous way to prettify a wall and so easy to do - the best part is this is a simple DIY art project that you can change whenever you find a new fabric you adore. For fabric junkies like me it's a great excuse to buy new designs.

Baby P's room is another fabulous nursery I spotted while perusing ohdeedoh.

I've known for years that I would want white and light coloured or natural wood for my baby furniture; good choice considering my fab sis Joanne passed along her boy's light wood crib and change table! We also have an Ikea dresser in our room that is white with natural wood edging that should go perfectly.

I'm thinking the boxy bookshelf seen above (not sure where this one is from but they have the same style at Ikea) will quite likely be an addition to our nursery. A large bookcase is an absolute must since everyone who knows me well knows how much I love books and kid's books are at the top of my list of favourite things. Oh yes that's one thing I started shopping for years ago: books books and more books! Please note: books don't count as clutter. hehe

Who Am I?

I'm a mom, wife and teacher with a serious love for crafting who is trying to figure out how to manage it all. Gingham Skies is a place for me to share my creations, my rants, my raves and some of my favourite fabulous treasures found scattered throughout our online world.